I’ve never met a quiche I didn’t like. This bacon, pepper jack and asparagus quiche is no exception. Fluffy eggs are the perfect backdrop for the salty bacon and spicy pepper jack cheese. The asparagus arranged on top makes it a show stopper. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Making the Crust

This recipe works with either a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan, or can be adapted to individual “mini” tarts. I prefer the mini pans myself because you get more crust. The crust is the best part, right?

To get started, you will need enough pie crust to fit one 9-inch pie plate. If using mini tart or pie pans, you will need two crusts. My homemade pie crust recipe produces two crusts. You can also use store bought pie crust if you are short on time. Gently fit the pie crust dough to the pie plate or tart pan. Trim and flute edges. Place the pan(s) in the refrigerator and chill the dough for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove pan(s) from refrigerator. Line each crust with waxed paper and fill shells with pie weights or dried beans. Prebaking the crusts will prevent the bottom from becoming soggy once we pour the filling in. Using pie weights ensures the crust will keep its shape. If you don’t have pie weights, dried beans work just as well. Just remember, the dried beans are no longer edible if used in this way. You can save them to use as pie weights in the future, but you can no longer cook them an eat them.

Bake crusts for about 12-14 minutes, remove weights or beans, then bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until crusts are golden brown. Remove pre-baked shell from the oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Do not turn off the oven.

I love that if you don’t go overboard, quiche can be pretty economical to make. It can be cheap and elegant. That’s an almost impossible combo to come by.

Ingredients

Pie crust dough for one 9-inch pie plate or tart panif using mini tart pans, you will need two crusts

6bacon stripscooked and crumbled

8ouncespepper jack cheesegrated

4eggsslightly beaten

1cupheavy cream

½teaspoonsalt

¼teaspoonground black pepper

6fresh asparagus stalkstrimmed

Instructions

Gently fit pie crust dough to pie plate or tart pan. Trim or flute edges. Place pan in the refrigerator and chill dough for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pan from refrigerator. Line each crust with waxed paper and fill shells with pie plates or dried bean. Bake crusts for about 12-14 minutes, remove weights or beans, then bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until crusts are golden brown. Remove pre-baked shell from the oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Do not turn off the oven.

In a large bowl, combine bacon and cheese. Add eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and mix until well-combined. Pour mixture into prebaked pie shell. Carefully arrange the asparagus in a circular pattern or if making mini quiches, place one asparagus in the center of each quiche.

Return quiche to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top are slightly browned and the middle of the quiche is set.

Remove quiche from the oven and allow the quiches to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

The Woman Under the Veil

I'm Lisa, a first generation Southerner. While I was born and raised in Mississippi, I wasn't raised on Southern food. Then I met and fell in love with a boy who grew up eating his Grandmama's fried chicken and his Mamaw's biscuits and gravy. I realized I had a thing or two to learn about Southern cooking.